A former Driscoll’s worker says half of the berries shipped to Canada may have broken pesticide rules, raising questions about what’s in the fruit you store at home.

David Harada, a former employee for California‑based Driscoll’s, filed a lawsuit claiming that roughly 50 % of the company’s berry exports to Canada between 2022 and 2024 exceeded the pesticide limits set by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). He says the excess was caused by over‑spraying and by dropping the usual food‑safety checks for those exports.

The CFIA confirmed that the berries contained residues above the permitted levels. Laboratory tests identified three pesticides – bifenthrin, iprodione and captan – on the fruit. Maria Corradini, an associate professor of food sciences at the University of Guelph, notes that pesticide residues naturally degrade over time, so older batches are less likely to retain high levels.

Health experts say the risk to consumers is low. Environmental toxicologist Daniel Green explained that a person would need to eat about 19 kilograms of the contaminated berries in a short period before any adverse effects might appear. That amount far exceeds normal consumption, and the alleged shipments are unlikely to still be in a typical household freezer.

Driscoll’s says it never knowingly shipped unsafe product and that it has now amended its quality‑control procedures to meet Canadian pesticide standards. The company says the new controls should prevent future exceedances and help restore consumer confidence.